William Goddard (publisher)

William Goddard
Goddard c. 1780—1785
Born	(1740-10-10)October 10, 1740 New London, Connecticut, British America
Died	October 23, 1817(1817-10-23) (aged 77) Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Resting place	North Burial Ground
Known for	Colonial publisher, printer, postmaster, postal inspector
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William Goddard (October 10, 1740 – December 23, 1817) was an early American patriot, publisher, printer and postal inspector. Born in New London, Connecticut, Goddard lived through the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, during which he opposed British rule of the colonies through his actions and publications. He was a major figure in the development of the colonial postal system, which became the U.S. Post Office after the American Revolution.

Goddard served as an apprentice printer under James Parker. In 1762, he became an early American publisher who later established four newspapers during the American colonial period, including the Pennsylvania Chronicle, Pennsylvania Gazette, and The Constitutional Courant,, which frequently gave voice to the various patriotic causes. As a printer and publisher Goddard was highly critical of the Stamp Act in 1765 and joined the Sons of Liberty to that end. For a short time he was also a postmaster of Providence, Rhode Island. Later, Goddard's newspaper partnership with Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia would play an important role in the development of a new postal system in the soon to be united colonies. Through his association with Franklin, who was then serving as postmaster of British North America in Philadelphia, Goddard played a major role in the introduction of new postal routes, reforms and other improvements to the colonial postal system, efforts which are often only attributed to Franklin.